The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-24
A HURRICANE In TEXAS.
GREAT DAMAGE DONE PROPERTY
AND CROPS RUINED.


Monster-Hu of Houses Left
in Ruins-The Blow Worse than It's
Predecessors 1t was not Unex-
pected.
GALVESTON, Sept. GA special to the
Ne,os from Brownsville says: "a cyclone
visited Brownsville Wednesday night, car
rying destruction in its path. The rain ac-
companying the storm deluged the country
for miles. The loss in property and crops
is very great, but it cannot yet be estimated.
Thus far no lives are reported lost.
The village of Santa Curz opposite
Brownsville, was entirely submerged for
seveal hours. The Rio Grande rose rapidly,
and ragged like a sea, and the back water
over flowed many miles of fertile country.
The wind reached velocity of over eighty
miles an hour, blowing a perfect hurricane
for couple of hours. The rain
fall during Wednesday night
by actual measurement reached ten
inches. The floods did almost as much
damage as the wind. Hardly tree is left
standing in the vicinity of the city, and sew
eral hundred acres of valuable sugar cane
was blown fiat to earth. The roof of the
Masonic Hall was carried away. Scantlon's
large warehouse was demolished. Many
private residences were unroofed and had
their contents ruined by the heavy rain.
Many Mexican families, whose frail houses
were toppled over, were cared for by citi-
zens and comfortably lodged in public build
ings. Telegraph wires are Frustrated and
the extent of the damage south and west of
here along the Rio Grande is not yet
Known
HEAVY RAIN AT LAREDO.
A special from Laredo, Tex, to the NetUs
says: "A phenomenally heavy rain has
fallen all day between Salido river and
Lampasas, Mex. Great damage has
been done to the Mexican
National railway track, half mile of
which is washed out. Several wooden
bridges have also been carried away. Traffic
will be interrupted for some time. 1t has
rained every day for the past week in this
section, Grass and water were never more
plentiful between the Nueces and Rio
Grande riversn
REGULAR VISITOR.
BROWNSVILLE, Tex, Sept. 23.-Hurri-
canes appear to have become regular visi-
tors to this coast. Night before last another
made destructive descent upon the two
cities of Brownsville and Matamoras just
about year and day had passed since the
chubasco of 1886 and the remainder of the
funds collected for the relief of the suffer
ers by the storm was being distributed when
the threatening signs of the approach of an
other of these awful visitors were noted
The telegraph several days ago gave notice
of hurricane southwest of Havana, which
was moving this way, and for two or three
days the weather indications showed the ap-
proach of the storm. Though the barome-
ter and tide in the Gulf usually give warn
ing of coming bad weather, this storm gave
no indication of its immediate approach
ARRIVAL OF THE MONSTER.
At o'clock Tuesday evening, the norther
that had been blowing for several days in
creased i'll fierceness with heavy gusts of
rain and in a short time the hurricane was
on the town in it's full force, the wind reach
ing IN the height of the storm a velocity of
seventy-eight miles an hour. All
being mingled now and then
with the crash of a falling house, the sound
of falling trees, the rattling of fences as
they went over or the shouts of those de-
serting their crumbling residences or inn
ploring aid. Morning dawned on a scene of
desolation. Water filed the streets through
which the roaring north wind drove the rain
like great volleys of small shot. Fallen
trees, the ruins of houses and fallen fences,
all half submerged in water rendered
passage difficult, and at times dangerous.
AN oMINoUs LULL.
At 230 o'clock in the afternoon the wind
lulled, and there was almost a dead calm
until 4:30 o'clock, when the wind came from
the south. This shows that the velocity of
| the hurricane, as was the case i'll those of 1880
and 1886, passed directly over this section.
| About o'clock at night the wind again be-
came violent coming this time from the
| south, and continued until this morning.
when the hurricane may be said to have
! Tba of ha b<,
safely calculated at thirty-ive hours. The
wind was from the northeast, veering to the
northwest at the beginning and from the
southwest during the latter half. The
rainfall was very heavy, being 1914
inches. The average temperature was
| ~ The velocity of the wind, while it
registered greater than that of the hlirri-
cane of last year, did not appear to show its
force during sudden gusts. The diameter of
the storm was much greater, and its dura-
| ton was longer than either of that of 1885
| or 1880.
FORCE OF THE WIND.
HThe force was greater than that Of the blow
! of the former year, but not so great as that
! Of 1880. The fact that the bulk of the
| people were better prepared for its coming,
| and that the weaker buildings had been
swept away by the storm of last
year was the only reason for its
damage in the country outside of the two
cities is incalculable. Countless cattle and
! sheep have been lost and crops OF cotton,
! corn and sugarcane are completely pros
trated and destroyed One rancher on
| small place calculates his loss in cotton
alone at $4,000, and many others are
equally heavy losers. The total of the losses
will be far beyond Sl000,000
POOR PEOPLE THE CHIEF LOSERS.
In Brownsville the chief sufferers were
among the poor Between sixty and eighty
! jacobs, or cheaper classes of dwellings, have
been blown down, and fully 800 have been
partially unroofed and rendered unin-
! habitable Almost oil Of the latter
class of houses leaked. Mr.. Raphael's
! magnificent residence and elegant
| furniture were badly damaged,
| and many Others suffered similarly. Large
numbers Of fences were blown down, and al
most every fence was more or less damaged.
| Magnificent shade trees were scattered in
| fragments or overturned A barge and
| steam launch at the ferry landing were
sunk. The boats of the Ferry Company
were saved with great difficulty
| The telegraph wire 10 Point Isabel is
| down, and 10 is not known how things are
there. There were in port two vessels, the
schooners Henrietta and Magnetic
GREAT SUFFERING.
There is great suffering among the poor,
/ many of whom are without resources.
! Sheriff Brto has succored many families,
| Lut ~ L. stnl nos.ible to aid only n norton